Momentary Pause
by Its'Noelle'not'Nole'5327
Summary: 50 short glimpses of the Devibats at work and at play. (short stories really) Parings if you look for them closely. Story 2, Dropping Mints: Monta gets a lesson in expressing your feelings from the Ha-ha brothers? Misunderstandings ensue.
1. Recruiting

**Momentary Pause**

Short glimpses of the Devibats at work and at play. (short stories really) Parings if you look for them closely

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21.**

What happens when Mamori finds something unexpected in the rain?

* * *

**Recruiting**

It was relatively calm in the Devilbat's club house on this particularly rainy day. The most likely reason for all the calm was the lack of people in the club house. Due to the murderous activity called weather, practice had ended early and almost everyone had gone home.

Musashi flipped through an American Football Magazine while Hiruma typed on some project he was doing.

"Ah!" Mamori burst through the club door, umbrella in one hand, a wet cloth in the other. She shook out her umbrella at the door and deposited the wet towel on the table.

"Do you mind wiping it dry?" Mamori pointed to the towel as she rushed to do something.

"The towel?" Musashi picked up the soaked object. A small grey ball plopped onto the table.

"Mew!" the shivering ball crowed at the one who dropped at him.

Hiruma looked up from his computer to the table, eyebrows raised.

"A cat?" Hiruma picked the wet thing by its scruff with two fingers, "you brought a f***ing cat into the clubhouse?" Mamori snatched it out of his clutches and began rubbing it down with a dry towel.

"It's just a kitten," she continued to rub it, "it was drowning in a cardboard box."

"You should have left it where it was," Hiruma stared at the small creature.

"It was being drowned by the rain!" Mamori exclaimed, placing the towel on a chair. The once grey ball of water was now a larger ball of fuzz. Musashi petted the kitten's head with his index finger. He couldn't do much more since his finger was almost the size of its head. It purred at the attention it was getting.

"I'm going to the store to get it some milk," Mamori picked up her umbrella, "watch- Hiruma-kun!" The demon quarterback had picked it up once again by its scruff and looked ready to chuck it.

"Watch it," she took the kitten out of his hands and placed it on the floor, "and if that kitten gets hurt, I'll never forgive you Hiruma Yoichi!" She stormed out into the rain.

"Keh," Hiruma returned to typing, making no effort to do as requested.

After everything settled down again, said animal began to explore its new surroundings. It came across a sleeping figure, much larger than its own. The kitten mewled at it. Its tail shifted in sleep. The kitten arched its back and got ready to pounce.

"I don't think Ceberos would appreciate being woken up," Musashi picked up the mewling handful and placed him on the table. The kitten blinked at the change of scenery. There was nothing on this surface except for the thing the slender man was tapping on. He ambled over to investigate.

"Oh no you don't," Hiruma pushed the kitten to the other end of the table. The kitten was not one to be stopped by a such a little thing as a push. He returned once more to investigate only to be pushed back by the same hand. He sat for a minute watching the slender man eye him and return to his tapping. He bounded over to the thing once more.

"D*** cat!" Hiruma pushed the cat back.

Musashi watched as a battle of wills ensued between the Hiruma and the curious kitten. He let out a soft chuckle.

"Something funny, old man?" Hiruma glared up at his friend while in mid push across the table.

"Why don't you just make him a lineman for all the tenacity the little guys has," Musashi attempted a light joke. Hiruma looked between him and the little fuzz ball. His face split into a grin. Why not indeed.

[]

"I've got the supplies," Mamori shut the door behind herself, "how is-"

"SET! HUT!"

Mamori turned, her bags whirling around with her. The table was football field side up and the little players were lined up in a formation.

"Blitz!" Hiruma cackled as he set the kitten on the board next to the other linemen. The kitten pounced on the opposing team's quarterback and began to gnaw on the tape that held a tuft of catnip on the character.

"Kekekekeke," Hiruma's grin widened, "next we'll see if you can stop their passes."

"What on Earth is he doing?" Mamori confronted Musashi, afraid to disturb Hiruma.

"I think he's recruiting," Musashi scratched the back of his head, thinking along the same thought process as Mamori.

"A kitten?" Mamori pointed in disbelief, the bags still clinging to her arms.

"SET! HUT!"

"At least he's not using it for throwing practice," Musashi couldn't help but stare at the odd spectacle taking place in front of him.


	2. Dropping Hints

**Dropping Hints**

Story 2: Monta gets a lesson in expressing your feelings from the Ha-ha brothers? Misunderstandings ensue.

Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21 (if I did, I would make fun of the characters a lot more than I do)

* * *

"I... I can do this," Monta walked as confidently as he could to the door of the clubhouse.

"I can't do this," he backed up 10 feet.

"I c-can! I will!" he sped towards the door, but froze before he touched it.

"I should plan it out," Monta began walking back to the school.

"MUKYAA! Courage MAX!" Monta whipped around and charged the door, rearing and snorting. Sena watched as his friend went back and forth arguing with himself in front of the clubhouse.

"Uh, what's he doing?" Jumonji approached Sena.

"Ah, he's declared that today is the day he tells Mamori-nee-chan his feelings," Sena sighed, "but I think he's having some confidence issues."

"Huh?"

"Huuuuh?"

"HAAAAAAH?"

"Oh," Jumonji glanced over his own shoulder to see Kuroki and Togano, "when did you guys get here?"

"Just now," Kuroki answered, "so the monkey is not experienced in love?"

"I guess not," Sena shrugged.

"Exhausted MAX!" Monta sat on the ground, currently five feet away from the door. He simply couldn't make up his mind.

"Having love troubles?" Kuroki leaned over Monta's left shoulder.

"We can help," Togano leaned over his right.

Jumonji scratched the back of his head "I can lend you my experiences-"

"Shut up! He doesn't need any help from you!" the other to Ha-ha brothers yelled at him. Jumonji blinked and slunk over to Sena.

"It's okay," Sena gave him a 'there, there' pat on the shoulder, "they're just jealous of you."

"You have two options," Togano held up two fingers, "the direct confession or the subtle way."

"You were winding yourself up to be direct, but is that the option for you?" Kuroki held up a finger. "Confessions will give you the instant info you want to know, but you can also be shot down quickly as well."

"Oh?" Monta scratched the top of his head with a finger.

"For you, considering your easily broken spirit (when it comes to Mamori), I'd recommend the subtle way," Togano flipped to a page in one of his books, "it's the little things that count. Doing this, saying that, dropping hints."

"Dropping...?" Monta wore a confused face.

"Hints!" Kuroki exclaimed, finding this a worthy point to stress, "drop one here, one there, but just enough so she understands."

"Is that so..." Monta was thinking it over, "what kind do they have to be?"

"Softer ones," Togano nodded, "you don't want to scare her away, just something small, but big enough to catch her attention."

"I see," Monta nodded slowly, "so when do I start?"

"Right now!" The two exclaimed pushing the sitting boy to the door.

"B-but I'm not prepared," Monta was startled.

"Fine, fine," Kuroki was getting annoyed, "but soon! Or someone might get her before you!"

"What are you idiots doing?" a voice said from behind them.

"Ah!" the three turned to be face to face with the devil incarnate.

"No-nothing at all," Togano said nervously.

"Practicing!" Kuroki exclaimed, "we were just practicing!" The other two vigorously nodded their heads in agreement. Hiruma raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Hiruma blew a bubble and continued onto his original destination, the clubhouse, "idiots will be idiots."

"Ha?" Monta tilted his head.

"Haaah?" Togano nearly ripped his book in half.

"HAAAAH?" Kuroki yelled at the door.

"I've been replaced," Jumonji was silently crying.

"It's only temporary," Sena did his best to comfort the ex-bully.

"He's obviously your biggest rival," Togano said with the upmost conviction.

"Really?" Monta asked, eyes wide.

"He is the master of subtleties," Kuroki shook his fist in anger, "he's been dropping hints almost as long as I can remember."

"No," Monta couldn't believe it, "I've never seen him do so."

"That's why he's the master," Togano gave a deft nod, "and she's been gobbling them up from day one." Monta's jaw dropped to the ground.

"No," Sena weakly raised his arms, "I don't think that's right."

"It's settled," Monta stood with his right arm raised to the sky, "subtle counterattack MAX!"

"No, that's an oxymoron," Sena finally gave up.

[]

Monta marched up to the clubhouse the next day, his hands in his pockets. He had gone to great lengths to prepare and at last he was ready. The door slowly swung open. Hiruma was showing Sena some of the plays the Devilbats were going to work on this week while Mamori was completely preoccupied with sweeping.

Monta flashed Sena a thumbs up and then found a spot of wall to lean on.

"Hey Mamori-san," he said cooly. Mamori glanced up from her sweeping.

"Oh, hi Monta-kun," she smiled and continued this task, "forgive me if I don't talk to you, I have to finish this."

"S'alright," he gave a solitary nod. Mamori swept past him and Monta dropped a couple things on the floor.

"Oh!" she came across them, "peppermints?" She looked up at Monta, who pretended to be watching Hiruma explain the play. She looked back down at the candies in her hand and slipped them in her pocket. She continued on with her duties. He threw a couple more mints on the floor. Sena blanched.

No. He didn't. He couldn't have.

"Monta-kun," Sena went to his side, whispering. "What are you doing?"

"What the brothers told me to do," Monta was grinning ear to ear, "I'm dropping mints." Sena had to look away. Monta really _had_ done it.

"It was hard to find the soft kind they were talking about, but I came across a store that had just what I needed," he took one out of his pocket, "soft peppermints! Who would've thunk?"

"Ye...yeah," Sena wobbled back to the table, unable to say anything else. He didn't have the heart to tell his friend the mistake he had made.

"Do you have a good reason to walk away while I was explaining this play or am I boring you?" Hiruma held a gun to Sena's head with a feral expression. Surprisingly Mamori was too busy intensely cleaning to see this incident take place.

"I-I'm sorry," Sena was sweating profusely, "Monta was doing something odd so went to check on him." Hiruma glanced over at the whistling receiver as he threw another mint on the ground.

"What is that f***ing monkey doing?" Hiruma had not yet taken the gun off of Sena's head yet.

Sena gulped, "yesterday, two of the Ha-ha brothers were trying to help Monta express his feelings to Mamori-nee. They told him he should drop hints and well..." Sena wiped the sweat off his face, "he misunderstood and thought they said he needed to drop mints."

Hiruma froze, processing what had just been said.

"Hiruma-kun!" Mamori finally realized there was a gun to Sena's head, "what are you-"

He burst into laughter. Tears were pouring from his eyes as comprehension had dawned on him.

"You stupid monkey," Hiruma banged his fist on the table with every word. "MINTS?" His cackling was unnerving to Sena and especially to Mamori.

"Hiruma... kun?"

He fell off his chair and was rolling on the floor with laughter. It was too much, oh, it was too much. Monta was wide eyed and confused.

"What's happening?" Monta didn't understand.

"I think it's better you go," Sena began pushing his friend out the door. Mamori tried to help Hiruma up, but he was laughing too hard.

"Do you think the mints worked?" Monta turned to his friend eagerly. Sena could hear Hiruma starting another roar of laughter with Mamori asking him to calm down in a worried tone.

"I don't think so," Sena shut the door behind them, "I don't think *ahem* dropping mints is for you."

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_Yeah, I went there :) I am absolutely horrible. If you go back and read where they start explaining 'dropping hints' it's actually funnier the second time. At least I think so. But I would love a review if you could spare one. Or perhaps a prompt you'd want me to write on._


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